Posts Categorized: Water

Forest industry collaboration cultivates sustainability around vital wetland ecosystems

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Canfor, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Tolko Industries Ltd., West Fraser, and Weyerhaeuser Company

Wetlands are prominent features in forests and are often part of interconnected systems that link all forest ecosystems. Alberta’s wetlands help maintain forest productivity (water/ nutrient flow) and provide numerous ecosystem services that benefit the forest industry and society. The Forest Management Wetland Stewardship Initiative’s (FMWSI) mission is to advance wetland stewardship in the boreal forest through sustainable forest management. Working together since 2017, the initiative takes an innovative ...

Safe water and water sustainability in Alberta

University of Calgary

Pristine water supplies are being threatened by population growth, climate change, and increasing water demands by economic activities. Dr. Kimura-Hara’s research helps to develop, apply, and share cutting-edge science to continue to provide safe water and address the growing concern of water sustainability for future generations.

Dr. Kimura-Hara’s research contributes to the future of Canadian water sustainability through the integration of chemical and toxicological analysis to evaluate ...

Forest industry collaboration cultivates sustainability around vital wetland ecosystems

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Canfor, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Tolko Industries Ltd., West Fraser, and Weyerhaeuser Company

The Forest Management Wetland Stewardship Initiative’s (FMWSI) mission is to advance wetland stewardship in the boreal forest through sustainable forest management. Working together since 2017, the initiative takes an innovative approach by leveraging the knowledge and resources of seven committed organizations to find solutions to shared challenges. These organizations include Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Canfor, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Tolko Industries Ltd., ...

LakeKeepers: Community Based Monitoring of Alberta’s Lakes

Alberta Lake Management Society

The Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS) works to improve our understanding of lakes, reservoirs, and watersheds.

In 2018, ALMS developed the LakeKeepers program. Participants in the program are equipped and trained to collect water quality measurements and samples from their waterbody of choice. Participants are provided with a sampling kit which includes a water quality probe, sample bottles, safety gear, and a filtration kit. In the summer, ...

Riparian Web Portal

North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance

Riparian Web Portal is an exciting new project created by Alberta’s watershed community. Officially launched in 2021, this online space is designed to encourage Albertans to conserve and improve riparian health today for a better tomorrow.

The Riparian Web Portal:

1) provides access to riparian data and summary tools,

2) shares examples of on-the-ground restoration and conservation projects, and

3) provides ...

A Very Visual Field Guide for Wetland Classification in Alberta

Ducks Unlimited Canada

The Alberta Wetland Classification System Field Guide provides wetland information clearly and logically, for users to navigate while assessing a wetland in the field. The introductory content of the guide exposes users to wetland functions, values, and classification concepts like the five main wetland classes in Alberta (bog, fen, swamp, marsh, shallow open water). The guide then walks users through wetland classification with:

1. 24 detailed fact ...

The Bioengineering Demonstration and Education Project

City of Calgary/Government of Alberta

The City of Calgary and The Government of Alberta have partnered to create a project that demonstrates how bioengineering can be used to improve fish habitat and stabilize erodible river banks. Their goal is to increase awareness and understanding of how soil bioengineering structures are built, what benefits they can bring to our watershed, and how they might be used to mitigate the impacts of future flood events.

...

The WaterSHED North Saskatchewan River Monitoring Program

A collaboration between Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP), EPCOR, the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance (NSWA) and the City of Edmonton

Effective long-term sustainable management watersheds require a solid scientific understanding of the links between watershed processes and changes in water quality, quantity and overall ecosystem functioning.  

In this project, AEP, EPCOR, the NSWA and CoE partnered to implement a modern and enhanced river monitoring program for the NSR called WaterSHED (Water: Saskatchewan Headwaters Edmonton and Downstream).   By combining consensus-based, multi-stakeholder priorities with sound science, a comprehensive network ...

Pigeon Lake Watershed Management Plan – Caring for the Lake Together

Pigeon Lake Watershed Management Plan, Steering Committee

This project demonstrates the power of the Pigeon Lake Water Management Plan to strengthen community collaboration and deliver action across jurisdictions. In 2006 and subsequent years, Pigeon Lake experienced blue green algae blooms, fish kills and public health advisories—leaving local residents and politicians, looking for answers. It was quickly acknowledged that collaboration, across all 12 municipalities, was essential to executing effective watershed management.  The development of the Plan progressed ...